The big sporting audience – the one the sporting bosses will be watching – is the bums on couches at home. Credit Blake Armstrong / www.photosport.nz
EDITORIAL:
Of all the big sporting plays in 2024 – the clever cut-out moves, the outright smash hits and the savvy dummies – it’s the sidestep to free-to-air broadcasting that will determine the year’s biggest winner.
Last night’s preview of the likely Super Rugby final – Chiefs
v Crusaders, in Hamilton – drew a sizable crowd, as did the T20 clash between the Black Caps and Australia at Eden Park. But the big audience – the one the sporting bosses will be watching – is the bums on couches at home.
Both cricket and rugby (and league, too) have made recent moves into free-to-air broadcasting. The Black Caps switch from behind failed paywall models to having domestic matches screened on TVNZ has been a gamechanger for fans.
It’s a pity that much of the golden era of our finest generation of men’s cricketers went unseen on screens by kids who might otherwise be inspired to take up the game. Those kids were more likely to watch IPL or, more likely, NBA highlights on social media platforms. Now they can add a dose of Kane Williamson to their diet.
